


To Have A Room For Oneself

by Hekate1308



Series: Children of Purgatory [7]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Emma Winchester - Freeform, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, M/M, destiel actually being developed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-21 20:34:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8259736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hekate1308/pseuds/Hekate1308
Summary: Returning to earth had been the easy part. Now they had to carve themselves a place in the world. Part of my Emma series, Destiel pre-slash.





	

It didn’t take long for them to meet Castiel. For all the apparent indifference Dean had shown, he was still concerned about the spell the King of Hell’s mother (Emma was still wrapping her head around that one) had put on him.          

But first, Sam and Dean took them to the bunker of the Men of Letters.

It was certainly much more homely than she had imagined.

There were even free rooms, which Dean had offered them by waving in their general direction and saying, “You can just pick a bed room, each of you. If you need help cleaning it out, let me know.”

They both understood that the brothers needed a moment to themselves and left, but not before they heard Dean remark “We’ll have to take them shopping soon – “

“Wonder if he’s going to make sure you don’t wear anything too revealing” Madison mused in her usual attempt to lift the mood. Emma smirked before her expression dropped.

“How are you?”

Madison shrugged. “To tell you the truth? It’s freaking awkward. No offense, but when he shot you – “

“He was trying to save his brother. Trust me, none taken” Emma interrupted her. They had talked about that often enough, when there was no news in Purgatory.

Madison grimaced. “But me and Sam? It’s just – it’s so – “ she finally saw no other way to express herself than repeat what she had said before – “Awkward. I asked him to kill me, we had a dramatic goodbye – nothing’s supposed to come after that.”

“If it makes you feel better, I don’t think Dean ever expected to have a monster daughter.”

With that said, they returned to look for their rooms.

Dean ran a hand through his hair.

“I can’t believe it” Sam said, shaking his head.

“Do you think I can?” he asked tiredly.

It was bad enough that he always heard Amara’s siren song in the back of his mind, and that he was still worrying about Cas after that spell.

And now Emma had returned from the grave. Thanks to Crowley, too.

He shoved that detail far down for the moment. That was... complicated.

He had believed he had left Emma in Purgatory to do what she had decided to do, and to be honest, he had been rather proud of how she turned out. In a strange way, but still.

And now she was here to help him. It would have made him laugh if he hadn’t been sure Sam wouldn’t like it. He was long past saving.

Still she had grabbed her best friend and run right into Hell because she was worried about someone else.

That girl definitely had inherited too much from him.

In all his confusion, he had almost forgotten about Madison.

God, that was a whole other problem. Sam refused to talk about her to this day; and now his ex – something was standing right in from of him, alive again.

“You okay?”

Of course his little brother would make this about Dean.

“You tell me.”

Sam shrugged. “We’ve had weirder”.

“You do realize how fucked up it is we can even say that?”

“Hey, at least they are not ghosts, and they want to help us. And it can’t hurt to have...” he trailed off.

“You can say monsters. They have no problems with it” Dean said flatly. “We should call Garth soon, though. We should get some hearts for Madison.”

Hopefully she’d be able to control herself. She had eaten human hearts before, after all. But if vampires could control themselves...

“I’m calling Cas” he said, “I know we tested them but I want to make sure...”

“It’s probably for the best” Sam agreed.

A prayer would be faster, but he really wanted to hear Cas’ voice, make sure he was alright.

The angel picked up on the first ring and he let go of the breath he’d unconsciously been holding.

“Hey, Cas.”

“Hello, Dean.”

“Listen, buddy...” he rubbed his neck. “We’ve got something of a situation here...”

“What is wrong?”

Ready to help, as always.

“Emma and Madison have come back” he said bluntly before realizing that Cas probably had no idea who they were. “I mean – “

“Your daughter and the werewolf Sam had feelings for” Cas interrupted him. “I have always heard your prayers, Dean.”

Had he ever told him about Madison? Wait, what did he mean by _always_?

He remembered the months he had thought Cas was dead when in reality, he’d walked straight out of the lake and into the arms of his wife. He had prayed to him then, it was true – well, mostly he had cursed at him in the beginning – and then it had slowly turned into something like a small space where he could rant whenever he wanted.

He’d had to curb that once he had returned.

“Anyway, we’d like to be sure they’re alright to stay here, and – “ he paused before continuing, “we’d really like to see you, buddy.”

That was a normal thing to say, right? Sure, he missed the guy like crazy, but he couldn’t exactly _say_ that.

“I’m not too far away. I should be there by morning” Cas said softly.

“Okay. Stay safe, alright?”

“I will Dean.”

They hung up after that. Dean could have shaken his head at himself. Cas was his best friend, surely it shouldn’t have been so difficult to just talk to the guy.

But lately every talk they had felt so strangely charged...

“Cas is coming” he told his brother, who at this moment entered the room with two beers in hand.

“Good. And I think we’re good on groceries, for now. Beer could run short, though.”

“Emma’s not allowed to drink yet” Dean said automatically before realizing how he sounded.

He was barely ready to acknowledge that he had played any part in creating her, no reason to go all protective.

He didn’t think there would ever be something... normal about their relationship. But maybe, since they had come to help them, they could become something like... friends.

Maybe.

“We should probably check on them...” he began. Sam agreed.

They were not surprised when they found that Emma had picked a room closer to Dean’s and Madison’s closer to Sam’s.

Dean quickly went into his room to get something he guessed she’d need.

Emma was sitting on the – her, he guessed now – bed, studying the blank walls.

He suddenly found himself wondering if she had ever had a room of her own. Probably not.

“You like it?” he asked. “If you don’t, we can always get you a new mattress. Got memory foam, myself. It’s really comfy.”

He sounded like a total dumbass.

“I’m quite comfortable, thank you” Emma said.

An awkward silence followed.

He was really tired of awkward at this point.

“I know it’s no Purgatory, but we’ll do our best” he tried.

At least a small smile grazed her lips at this.

“It’s very different” she said quietly. “Complicated.”

“I know. Purgatory is... pure. Compact. You know what you are and what you want there.”

“I remember” she said, and he found himself evading her knowing gaze.

“Is Castiel coming?”

The question perhaps shouldn’t have surprised him.

“He’ll be here in the morning.”

Now it was Emma looking away, clearly uncomfortable.

“Did he ever tell you that we met him?”

“What? In Purgatory, you mean?”

Cas had never mentioned that he had met Emma. It explained how he knew about them, at least, and Dean couldn’t really be mad at him for not mentioning it – it wasn’t as if he had told anyone about his and Benny’s run-in with his – with the Amazon and Madison.

“I don’t know what happened” she continued slowly, “but I know he wanted the best for you.”

He snorted. “I doubt that. The damn fool stayed in Purgatory to atone for his sins and didn’t even care how I would think about it.”

“You can’t believe that. I only spoke to him for about ten minutes and I know it’s not true” she said.

She really had grown up. That was a far cry from the girl who had shown up at their motel room wanting to kill him.

He shrugged. “What can I say? Cas is a weird guy.”

He looked down at the old comfy t-shirt he had brought.

“Here” he said, “figured you’d need something to sleep in. Don’t think pyjamas were high on your shopping list.”

He was right; they had only bought essentials and enough clothes not attract attentions as homeless women, and she took the shirt gratefully. She ran a finger over the faded Led Zeppelin logo.

“I’ve never listened to them before” she said and looked up, just in time to watch Dean open his eyes wide and comically clutching at his heart. It was obvious intended to make her feel better, and in a strange way, it did.

“We’ll fix that. Can’t have a... Can’t have you running around without knowing the awesome things in life”.

“I guess it’s about time” she agreed.

He nodded. “Well, then I’ll – “ He paused. “I’ll just leave you to it. Good night”.

With that, he beat a hasty retreat, stumbling against the door before he managed to open it.

And this was one of the best hunters the world had ever seen.

Then again, it wasn’t as if she felt any surer of herself.

And this was her father. She hadn’t even talked to Sam, really.

“I know what you are thinking” Madison said as soon as Sam opened the door, ostensibly for asking her if she needed a toothbrush, “but Emma and I really want to help. She’s no longer what she was when you killed her.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Come to think of it, neither am I”.

Sam flinched. Right, she remembered; earth. So different from Purgatory.

One could always speak his mind in Purgatory. Here, not so much.

She reached out to take the toothbrush – unnecessarily, since she and Emma had quickly stoked up on the most important things – and said gently, “You know I don’t blame you. I never did. You did what I asked.”

He nodded. “I know. It’s just going to take some time to – “ he waved a hadn into the air.

She understood. God knew how long she had run around Purgatory before she had been able to get herself together.

“And about... Emma”. He was obviously forcing herself to use her name. “I want to believe she is here to help, and I know monsters can be good. But right now, with Amara...” he sighed.

“I’m worried about him” he confessed. “Don’t get me wrong, at least he’s not a demon, and he doesn’t have the Mark anymore. But I don’t want him to be the Darkness’ plaything.”

She nodded again. It seemed that, despite her being a werewolf and returned from the dead, the connection they had shared was unbroken.

“We’ll think of something” she said.

She had no idea what or how, but she and Emma had mastered many problems together, and the Winchesters were two of the best hunters out there. Plus, an angel was on their side.

She stepped up to him and stood on her tiptoes to press a gently kiss against his cheek.

He was still blushing as he told her goodnight.

Madison smiled as she prepared for bed. She might have no idea where she and Sam stood, but at least they had found Emma’s father, and they were together, united in one purpose.

And really, something out there trying to harm them?

She should be used to that by now.

Cas arrived early the next morning. Dean had planned on getting up to meet him, but had apparently been more exhausted than he had realized and neither Sam nor Cas had woken him up.

So he found them drinking coffee in the kitchen – or at least CAs had a cup in front of him. No idea if he liked the taste of the molecules, these days.

“Cas.”

The angel raised his head and smiled at him. “Hello, Dean.”

“The girls still asleep?” Sam asked a little too calmly for Dean. He shrugged.

“Guess so; haven’t hear anything, at least. And Emma’s still a teenager...” he trailed off. “I think”.

“She would be eighteen by human standards, if she died immediately upon maturation” Cas said.

“Hah!” Dean exclaimed triumphantly. “I was right about the beer, then.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Yes, Dean, technically, she isn’t allowed – “

“No “technically” about it – “

“Sam tells me they made a deal with Crowley” Cas interrupted them calmly. “He seems to have asked for little.”

“Yeah” Dean said, quickly refilling his cup of coffee, not looking at anyone.

He couldn’t very well tell them that he had an idea why Crowley wanted to know.

“Good morning”.

He turned around and found Emma standing in the doorway. Silence settled over them for a few seconds until Dean decided he’d had enough.

“I’m making breakfast. You hungry?”

She was a bit on the thin side, now that he thought about it.

She nodded. A few seconds later, Madison appeared behind her.

“Did anyone say breakfast?”

Her friend always knew what to say.

They were aware that the angel was studying them carefully.

“Hi Cas” she greeted him.

He nodded.

“Emma, Madison”.

If either Dean or Sam was surprised at the greeting, they didn’t show it.

Cas looked at them both, then nodded, and both the Winchesters visibly relaxed.

Apparently they had passed the last test.

She wasn’t surprised that they had called Cas; remembering Dean’s desperation in Purgatory, she was rather astonished that Cas hadn’t been with them to begin with.

It wasn’t her place to ask though, not yet.

Madison, however, as always eager to break awkward silences, felt none of that renitence.

“So, Cas, which one is your room?”

The angel was apparently stunned, but Dean jumped in immediately, “The one between mine and Emma’s.”

“I didn’t take it because I saw the pillows and figured someone had to be staying in there” she explained, although she didn’t add that, with everything that she could feel brewing between them, she’d have assumed Cas stayed in Dean’s room.

“Better than Purgatory, right?” Madison asked the angel. “You look a lot better, too.”

“What?”

It was Dean who had spoken. He had been debating with himself how to bring it up to Cas. 

“You met Emma and Madison? Cas?”

He knew he was being a hypocrite – he hadn’t told anyone about meeting them, either – but why wouldn’t Cas tell him that? Had Naomi played around with his mind too often? Had he forgotten?

He cleared his throat.

“Actually I met them too.”

Sam didn’t look surprised, but Dean had a feeling he’d eventually have Hell to pay for not telling him.

“Oh yes” Madison said simply while Emma nodded. “Sorry we couldn’t bring you two together sooner.”

“It’s quite alright” Cas assured her.

“But really” Madison said, and Emma told herself that from now on she would control her friend’s caffeine intake a bit more, “he was desperate –“

“Hey, when do you guys want to go shopping?” Sam interrupted her.

Emma shrugged. “Better sooner than later...”

Madison had taken a bottle of water out of the fridge, looking rather foolish when Dean decided to drag Cas off.

“Gonna take you soon” he said roughly, “There are some things we need to clear up first.”

Once he had the angel safely behind a closed door, he spoke.

“You met Emma and Madison?”

“I did.”

He had long ago dealt with Cas having wanted to stay behind, but he still didn’t like to be reminded of it.

And he had no idea why the angel, instead of looking uncomfortable, seemed... awed.

“I didn’t know it was that important to you to find me” Cas confessed.

“Didn’t know – “ Dean threw his hands in the air. “I spent a year fighting everything, through blood and gore, and you – “

The hug came as a surprise. Dean stood still for a moment before he carefully put his arms around Cas, too.

He eventually stepped back and couldn’t really bemoan the chick flick moment, not when Cas still wore a small smile on his face.

“You know you can – stay as long as you want, buddy, ok? I meant it. That room belongs to you”.

“Really?”

“You know we want you to stay” Dean said, shrugging, turning around already.

He failed to see the expression on Cas’ face that would have told him easily that no, he hadn’t known.

Cas declined their offer to take him with them, pronouncing very clearly “I’ll be in my room”. Dean had only the time to call after him, “Don’t open Netflix” before they decided to get going.

As it turned out, Madison and Sam went off together. Good for them.

But it also meant he and Emma were left to their own devices, and only then did he realize that he had no idea at all what a teenage girl would even like to wear.

Emma seemed to guess what he was about to say.                            

“Don’t worry. I’ve never been shopping in my life.”

“Yeah, well...” A bunch of girl passed them, giggling, and he had to grin when Emma rolled her eyes at him.

_Got enough from me, alright._

Thankfully Emma was not only clever, but sensible enough too; passing dresses and skirts rather quickly and going for the durable pants and cheap t-shirts most hunters preferred.

Although she did pause in front of a somewhat pretty (Dean guessed) red dress and a definitely cool (Dean knew) leather jacket before moving on without taking them with her to the changing rooms.

Dean sat down in front of the cubicle she’d disappeared into and tried not to remember the time he had done this with another young woman.

 _Please let her be happy in Heaven,_ he thought, _with her family and as many Christmases as she wants._

His phone rang. He was surprised to find Cas calling him.

“Hey, is – “

“Hello, Dean. Are you alright?” the angel sounded worried. “I heard your prayer”.

Had he been praying? Apparently so.

“No, no, I’m fine. I was just thinking about Charlie, you know...”

The little sister he had never wanted.

God it would have been wonderful to have her around now. She’d have been great with Emma, he knew.

“I’m sorry” Cas said softly.

“Yeah” he replied, “Yeah me too”.

The curtain whipped aside and Emma came out in one of the shirts she’d picked and jeans.

Oh.

She wanted to model for him, too.

He swallowed. “Gotta go, Cas. Naomi Campbell needs fashion advice.”

“Of course, Dean” he assured him before hanging up while Emma exclaimed, sounding quite young for once, “She’s so _old_ , Dean!”

She really had picked out very sensible things, he realized during the “montage” as Charlie would have called it. She even got a pencil skirt and a few blouses, despite the fact that Dean wasn’t sure they could really present her as a FBI agent.

So when she had once more disappeared behind the curtain he stood up and got the red dress and leather jacket.

He put them in her hands when she came out.

“Go ahead. It ain’t our money anyway.”

It looked she wanted to say something, but decided against it at the last moment.

And when she came out again, Dean had to admit that she really did look very pretty in that dress. And the leather jacket fit too, even if it did look a bit odd.

He gaver her an enthusiastic thumbs up, and even though she blushed and rolled her eyes at him, he had the feeling she didn’t really mind.

“They grow up so fast, don’t they?” an old lady who’d watched their exchange asked him after Emma had gone to change back to the clothes she’d donned on this morning.  

He chuckled drily.

“You have no idea”.

All in all, he decided that evening, when they had all collected around the dinner table, Cas at his side, the day had been a success.

Emma and Madison were installed at the bunker and alive, Cas was here to stay, and he had burgers to eat.

Naturally they caught a case the very next day. Nothing too big, but a few vampires had decided to start munching on a nearby town; they wouldn’t have even taken all three of them with them, only that Cas sat in the Impala before Dean could even ask if he wanted to stay behind, and Emma and Madison were wearing bitch faces to rival Sam’s.

And he had to admit that it was somewhat easier to take down the nest with an angel and two monsters at their side.

He was busy finishing off a vamp when he heard a hiss behind himself; but when he turned around, the monster who was about to attack him lost his head thanks to Emma, holding her blade, her Amazon eyes out for everyone to see.

Maybe that just happened when they fought.

And really, Dean realized, surprised, he didn’t mind one bid.

Emma didn’t even think when she saw that vampire launch at her father. She just acted.

Only after it was dead did she realize she was showing her eyes.

There was no fear or revulsion on Dean’s face though.

She hadn’t known how much she needed this.

She passed Dean the blade.

“Good weapon”.

“Good call” he said, and as they looked into each other’s eyes, she was reminded of that day in Purgatory.

She couldn’t sleep that night. Instead, she went to the library and found her father there, a beer bottle in his hand.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

She ignored the question and shot the bottle a pointed look.

“No, you don’t get any. You’re eighteen, remember?”

“I also killed a vampire today” she pointed out.

He snorted. “I know what you are capable of, you don’t have to tell me.”

He was reading Vonnegut, she noticed.

“Any good?” she asked.

“Pretty awesome. Has been my favourite book since I was twelve. Sammy was at a school trip and it was raining, so I stayed in the library...”

And then he was telling her about his and Sam’s youth, and it felt good. Almost normal.

Eventually, he asked, “What are you doing up, anyway?”

She shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“You really are a Winchester” he said, “We’ve never been anything but night owls.”

And then he laughed. “What am I even saying?”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t...” she gestured to the beer bottle in his hand.

He shook his head and mumbled to himself, “Two bottles these days...”

She didn’t know what he meant exactly, but she had suspicion and decided she didn’t really want to know.

And so their first talk late into the night, the first of many, ended with their laughter.

Life went on. There were more cases, more late night talks between Emma and Dean, more scenes of them watching Madison and Sam grow closer again.

Emma called Crowley regularly; when they stumbled across each other during cases, no one mentioned it.

She still thought there might have been something strange between her father and Crowley, but she was not going to mention it.

After all, if she was right, he’d been a demon at the time.

Cas was staying with them most of the time now. She didn’t know what had happened between him and Dean after she had let it slip how desperate he’d been to find the angel – but the room he’d spent so much time in had now officially become “Cas’ room”; and more often than not she would find him and Dean together when she entered the kitchen.

Not together together. Obviously. Even though no one who had ever seen them had a good explanation why not.

She was beginning to wonder how Sam could stand it. Apparently they had met Cas over seven years before.

Madison, at least, made no excuses.

“We could lock them in a closet” she said one day, eying them as they catalogued yet another strange artefact the Men of Letters had left behind.

“Does that really work?” she asked sceptically.

“Someone pushed me and a boy in an empty room in high school and locked the door behind us when we were sixteen” Madison reminisced.

“And?” Emma, who had never been to high school, would never admit it, but she cherished these stories.

They made her feel a bit more normal in this strange world.

“Oh, we didn’t like each other that way. So we talked about our English assignment until a teacher let us out”.

“That... doesn’t inspire much confidence” Emma said.

“Well, like I said, we _weren’t_ into one another.”

Cas was studying the strange wooden carving; Dean was too busy looking his friend over, making sure he was still alright.

After all, he still didn’t know why, after years, Cas had finally decided to stay.

Sure, they’d talked about Purgatory but that was it.

But he was apparently as fine as he could get, and he seemed very happy to leave his room every morning and find Dean making coffee.

He’d even befriended Madison and Emma, and sometimes, Dean didn’t understand what he was feeling as he watched the angel gently heal his daughter’s bruises after a hunt.

If it had not been for Amara and their “bond”, Dean would have been happier than he had been in a long time.

But of course this was his life, and so somehow, at the end of the next hunt, she cornered him.

One moment Dean was standing next to the Impala, then the sky flashed a weird colour, and he was gone.

“What happened?” Madison demanded.

“Must be Amara” Sam said, paling.

“If the sky is still affected, she might be near” Cas said. “We should split up”.

And they did. They had no idea what to do against her, but they couldn’t leave Dean to her; and Emma found herself praying for the first time as she raced through the wooded area.

_Please let him be alright. Let me find him. I have no idea if you even hear prayers from monsters, but please..._

Whether it worked or not, Emma was the one to find them.

Or, maybe, _find_ wasn’t the right word.

Rather, she stumbled upon them, standing just behind a small hill, staring at each other.

But even from the top she could see this was nothing like when Dean and Cas stared at one another, even though it made her feel equally uncomfortable.

This wasn’t Dean Winchester, this wasn’t Dean Winchester at all, this blank look, this slightly crouched stance, as if he was expecting an order –

Yet there was something in his expression, he was fighting it, fighting her, Emma could tell –

And Amara, a smile on her lips, reaching out to him, beckoning –

Emma had known that she admired her father greatly for all he had done. She had known that she appreciated being offered a roof over her head, a place to rest. She had known that she was thankful for his help understanding the world she’d barely known when she died anew.

She had not known how much she had grown to love him.                   

And as Amara stepped forward and it looked as if he would do the same, for the first time she cried out “DAD!” with every meaning the word could have.

And the spell was broken.

His head whipped around and his eyes widened; a moment later, he was hurrying up the hill to meet her; and she had only a short impression of Amara’s shocked face before he grabbed her and dragged her in the opposite direction.

“We need to get out of here” he breathed, and she quickly followed his lead as they ran away.

“The car?”

“Parked in a field north of here”.

“Good. Just hurry, normally she doesn’t go for a second try if I get away – “

Emma hated that he could use the word “normally” in this situation.

Only when they reached the Impala did she realize he hadn’t let go of her hand. She moved away slowly – to her own surprise, she hadn’t had anything against the touch – and grabbed her phone.

“I’ll tell the others.”

His answer surprised her.

“Are you alright?”

She looked up from her phone.

He had never looked at her that way before, so – so – fatherly.

“I’m fine” she said, even though she was still shaken from the sway Amara had over Dad.

He snorted. “Yeah, right. In case you haven’t noticed that’s basically the family phrasing for “I can still stand, so I guess I’m good”. Even Cas knows at this point.”

She put her phone away.

They had to wait for the others to return; and maybe, it would have ended in silence as so many of their talks before, if not – if not...

“Dad” she breathed once more, and then his arms were around her, and he was holding her tight.

She wasn’t exactly crying, but quivering, her head against his chest.

“Hey” he whispered. “It’s okay, Em. It’s okay.”

He had never abbreviated her name before, but he had never pressed a gentle kiss on her head before, either.

Dean finally felt himself relax, now that Emma was safe in his arms.

Emma.

He had been fighting Amara, as always, just because she could make his brain flatline, he wouldn’t just roll over and let her take him, but it had been hard.

And then he had heard her call out for her dad.

He had turned around and seen her.

Emma.

His _daughter_. 

And suddenly, running away from Amara had been the easiest thing in the world.

Maybe it was the paternal instinct finally kicking in. Maybe he had just needed to see her look so much like a scared little girl.

Either way, he was freaking glad they’d got away.

“Dean”.

He looked up and met Cas’ eyes.

They were all there, him, Sam, Madison; but somehow, he kept his focus on Cas, and the burning expression in his eyes, and the small, pleased smile he wore as he looked at them hugging.

“Hey. We’re okay” he said as he felt Emma step away and turn around.

“What about – “ Sam stopped, hesitated.

“Gone, for now.” He looked at each of them in turn.

“Anyone up for dinner?”

“Starving” Em replied, and since no one raised any objections, they got into the car.

That evening, Emma was reading in her room before going to sleep when there was a gentle knock on her door.

“Come in” she called out.

She should have expected Cas’ visit.

“Hey”.

“Hello, Emma”.

She waited for him to begin.

“When you saw your father with Amara today, did you think – “

They had told the others what had happened, but against her better judgement she hadn’t been completely honest with them. 

“Is it getting worse?” she finished. Cas nodded.

“Yes” she replied, even though it hurt. “She’s getting stronger. I don’t know how long he can – “

She looked away from the angel’s wise gaze.

“I don’t want to lose my father” she admitted.

Suddenly, he was in front of her, patting her left shoulder gently.

“You won’t “ he promised and was gone.

Later, much later, she would remember this moment.

But she would fail to forgive herself for it.


End file.
